Center-bearing.



C. F. HUNTOON.

CENTER BEARING.

APPLICATION mm mm1. |914.

Patented De@ 7,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. F. HUNTOON. CENTER BEARING. APPLICATION-FILED APR. 1r. 1914.

Patented Deo. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-EvET 2.

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7 umnmmm ama/Mew CHARLES F. HUNTOON, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CENTER-BEARING.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Application filed April 17, 1914. Serial No. 832,457.

To all rwhom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. HUN'rooN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center-Bearings; and I do hereby declare the following to be av full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of center bearings for railway vehicles and especially to that class of center bearings, now well known, in which anti-friction devices are interposed between the truck center plate and the body center plate thereof.

More speciiically still, my invention is designed to be anti-friction center bearings in which the balls or other anti-friction devices are received by annularly arranged elongated pockets which are deepest at their centers and gradually shallow or diminish in depth toward their opposite ends, the rolling of the anti-friction devices up the inclined portions of their respective pockets causing the body center bearing and superposed car body to be elevated when the car is passing around a curve, and the weight of .the car body serving to cause the latter to automatically reassume and maintain its normal relation to the truck when uponstraight track.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide simple, durable and eflicient means for' causing the antifriction devices;v to move or travel in unison up and down the inclined portions 'of the annular pockets or raceways of such center bearings when the car is passing around a curve, thus maintaining all of the anti-friction devices in constant bearing contact with both of the center plates and thereby increasing the life of the center bearing by promoting uniformity of wear and by substantially eliminating the possibility of crushing the anti-friction devices, which not infrequently occurs in present constructions as a result of one only or a few of the anti-friction devices at times having bearing contact with both of the center plates and, therefore, being at such times subjected to the entire load of the car.

Minor objects and features of the invenparticularly applicable to those y.

tion, involving elemental combinations and particular forms of construction, will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings illustratingthe bestmode in which I contemplate applying my inventlon: Figure 1 is a vertical section of a center bearing embodying my invention, the view being taken on the line 1-1, Fig. 2. lFlg. 2 is a plan view of the center bearing lllustrated in Fig. 1, the body center plate belng omitted. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken in the plane ot' the line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view, taken on the line 1`l, Fig. 2, the parts being in their normal positions with the antiiriction ball occupying its lowest position.

ig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, but illustrating the relation ot' the parts when the anti-friction ball rolls up the inclined portion of the elongated pocket or raceway as the car passes around a curve. Fig. 6 is a detail view taken on the line 6 6, Fig. 4, the ball being shown in plan. Fig. is a vertical sectional view. taken on the line 7-7, Fig. 8, showing the application of my invention to a center bearing wherein the truck center plate is formed as an integral part of the truck bolster; and Fig. 8 is a plan view of the construction illustrated in Fig.A 7, the body center plate and body bolster being omitted.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more ful-ly, so that others skilled lin the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the truck center plate andl 2 indicates the body center plate of the 'center bearing. Each of these center plates is provided with an annular raceway for the reception of anti-friction balls 3. For the sake of economy of maintenance the raceways of the center plates are preferably formed in drop forged steel rings which fit into correspondingannular recesses in their respective center plates. The raceway for the balls 3 in the raceway ring 4 of the truck center plate 1 is preferably formed as an annularly extending series of similar elongated bearing pockets 5 which are deepest intermediate of their ends and which incline upwardly or gradually diminish in depth toward their ends. Each of these pockets is designed to accommodate one of the balls 3. The raceway 6 formed by each of the balls.

in the raceway ring 7, instead of consisting of a series of elongated, inclined pockets, is preferably a continuous and complete annulus of the same cross-sectional form throughout, as more particularly illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5.

Interposed between the center plates 1 and 2 is an annular frame'8 which is provided With a circularly arranged series of apertures through which the balls 8 protrude. This framei8, which is rotatablewith respect to the centerI plates, may conveniently rest upon the upper face of the truck center late Sembled relation with said center plate by means of clips 9 which are bolted or riveted to the center plate and which are provided with inwardly projecting ends 10 that overhang the margin of the frame 8. The frame 8 is adapted to constantly maintain the balls 3 in proper bearingengagement with the center plates andl in correct spaced relation with each other. To this end, as W1ll be readily understood upon reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the frame 8 times remain in operative engagement with the balls `and to permit the latter to travel in unison up and down the inclined portions of their respective pockets 5 Without conimunicating the vertical movements` ofsaid balls to the frame. By this means 1t becomes impossible for any ball to lift the frame 8 and thus allow one or more of the remaining balls to lag behind and thereby escape the duty of bearing the proportionate part of the load. All the balls, therefore, since they move coextensively and at all times occupy corresponding positions with vrespect to the ball-receiving pockets 5, are necessarily in simultaneous bearing contact the center plates, and thus sustained equally with the raceways of the load of the car is In order to permit the frame 8 to have contact with the balls 3 at points in alinement with the median lines of the raceways or in the direction of travel of said balls, as well as for the purpose of facilitating the assembly and rotation of the balls with ref spect to the frame, it is preferred to form the inner faces of the curved, ball-retaining hoods 11 of the frame with projecting ribs 12, leaving clearances between the balls and the other inner portions of the retaining hoods. Not only does the frame 8 serve to cause the anti-friction devices to opera-te in unison, as heretofore eXplained, but it also excludes dirt from the raceways and prevents rattling and noise when the balls are in their lowest positions in the ball-receiving pockets 5.

In the modified form of construction illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 the truck center late, which is indicated at l, is an integral part of the truck bolster instead of being 1, it being preferably retained in asis designed to at all detachable therefrom. The body center plate is indica-ted by 2, while the balls are marked 3, the lower raceway ring is 4, the ball-pockets in the lower raceway ring are 5", the upper raceway ring is 7, the upper annular raeeway is 6, the frame is 8 and the clips for securin the frame to the truck bolster are indicate at 9*. The functions performed by these several arts are precisely the saine as those per ormed by the corresponding parts in the form of construction alread described; and except for changes in the imensions and mere matters of form, as, for example, the somewhat differently shaped clips 9 and the lateral eX- tensions 8b which project from opposite sides of the frame 8n and extend beneath the clips 9, the corresponding )arts in the forni of my invention which is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 are substantially of the same construction as those performing similar olliees in the construction which is exhibited in the principal igiires of the drawings.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character indicated. the combination with relatively movable members which are adapted to move toward and from each other and which are provided with roller-engaging surfaces arranged at an angle t-o each other, of a frame inteiposed between said members, and anti-friction roller devices spaced with relation to each other and interposed between said relatively movable members and protruding on opposite sides of said frame, said rollers being adapted to simultaneously engage said roller-engaging surface of said relatively movable members in any of the several positions which such members may normally assume when rotated with respect to each other, and said frame being adapted to maintain the spaced relation of said roller devices with respect to each other when the relatively movable members turn with respect to each other.

2. In a device of the character indicated. the combination with a truck center plate, of a body center plate, anti-friction roller devices interposed between and engaging said center plates, said truck center plate having inclined means cooperating with said roller devices and adapted to cause a separation of said center plates upon a relative turning movement of the latter, and an apertured frame which is interposed between said cen* ter plates and through which said roller devices protrude, said frame being rotatable to permit the travel of said roller devices while maintaining them in spaced relation with each other as the Said center plates turn, and said roller devices being movable vertically independently of said frame.

3. In a device of the character indicated,

the combination with a truck center plate, of

meaeae l a body center plate, said center plates being provided with roller-engaging surfaces arranged at an angle to each other, anti-friction roller devices interposed between said plates and engaging said surfaces, an apertured frame also interposed between saidv plates, and means for restraining Vertical movement of said frame with respect to one of said center plateswhile permitting the rotation of said frame with respecty to said center plate, said frame'being adapted to maintain said roller devices in spaced irelation with each other when said center'plates'` turn with respect to each other and being also adapted to permit said roller devices to move vertically independently of said frame.

4. In a device of the character indicated, the combination with a4 truck center 'plate having a raceway therein formed with roller-receiving pockets having inclined ends, of a body center plate having a fraceway therein, anti-friction roller devices operatbeing provided with roller-engaging surfaces extending at an angle to each other, anti-friction roller devices interposed between and adapted to simultaneously contact said center plates in any of the several operative positions to which said center plates may be rotated, and an apertured frame interposed between said center plates and seated uponthe upper face of said truck center plate, said roller devices protruding through the apertures in said frame and being movable therethrough to therevmovable in said raceways,

said means being movsaid raceways,

by vary the extent of their protuberance on opposlte sides of sav-id frame. I

character indicated,

6. In a device of the the combination. with a center plate having a vraceway comprising an annular series of elongated pockets which are deepest inter- Amediate of their ends and which diminish in depth toward their ends, of a coperating center plate provided with a, raceway, balls interposed between said center plates and and a frame interposed between said center plates and. adapted to'retain said balls in fixed spaced relation with each otherwhen said center v A plates turn with respect to each other, said frame being formed with a series of apertures adapted to receive said balls and being ormed with hood portions which prevent said balls from passing through the apertures in said frame, and said balls being adapted to rotate said frame and being movable vertically with respect to said frame.

7. In a device of the character indicated,

the combination with a center plate havingA a raceway consisting of an annular series of elongated pockets which are deepest intermediate of their ends and which gradually diminish in depth from their centers toward their ends, of' a coperating center plate having a raceway,

balls interposed between said center plates and movable in and an apertured frame adapted to maintain said balls in fixed spaced relation with each other and to permit said balls to move vertically vindependently of said frame, said balls being adapted to impart a rotary motion to-said frame and said frame being provided with hood portions .having upon their interior faces projections which ,are adapted to engage said balls.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A CHARLES F. HUN'llUN. Witnesses:

OLIVE M. HALL, R. T. C. Sonnmz.

Slt 

